by Nancy Dickinson
This past September I took the great American road trip! I had never been to Wisconsin, Minnesota, or North Dakota so I started planning a trip there back in 2021. As I decided where I wanted to visit, I realized that my route was going to take me to Ingalls country.
My first Ingalls stop was Pepin, Wisconsin, and the Little House in the Big Woods. I ate dinner in a very popular restaurant on Lake Pepin, probably very near where Pa Ingalls traded when he came to town and where the Ingalls crossed the frozen Mississippi on their way to Kansas. Then I drove out to the site where the Ingalls lived and where Laura was born. It’s about eight miles from Pepin and there aren’t many woods around anymore. A reproduction of the cabin has been constructed by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society.
After visiting MN and ND, I dropped down into South Dakota and went to De Smet, The Little Town on the Prairie. There I was able to visit the Ingalls homestead, go inside the Surveyors' House where the family spent their first Dakota winter, and visit the house where the family finally settled after Laura married Almanzo. The LIW Memorial Society does an amazing job of maintaining the sites and giving guided tours.
Finally, my last stop was in Walnut Grove, MN, where I visited the Banks of Plum Creek. The family who owns the property today has posted signage and made this a very worthwhile visit. It may have been my favorite because it’s so beautiful there and I could imagine Laura and Mary playing in the creek and Pa working in the field.
I wish I could post all my favorite pictures I took on this pilgrimage, but here are a few. Let me know if you are interested in any details. It was a great trip!
This past September I took the great American road trip! I had never been to Wisconsin, Minnesota, or North Dakota so I started planning a trip there back in 2021. As I decided where I wanted to visit, I realized that my route was going to take me to Ingalls country.
My first Ingalls stop was Pepin, Wisconsin, and the Little House in the Big Woods. I ate dinner in a very popular restaurant on Lake Pepin, probably very near where Pa Ingalls traded when he came to town and where the Ingalls crossed the frozen Mississippi on their way to Kansas. Then I drove out to the site where the Ingalls lived and where Laura was born. It’s about eight miles from Pepin and there aren’t many woods around anymore. A reproduction of the cabin has been constructed by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society.
After visiting MN and ND, I dropped down into South Dakota and went to De Smet, The Little Town on the Prairie. There I was able to visit the Ingalls homestead, go inside the Surveyors' House where the family spent their first Dakota winter, and visit the house where the family finally settled after Laura married Almanzo. The LIW Memorial Society does an amazing job of maintaining the sites and giving guided tours.
Finally, my last stop was in Walnut Grove, MN, where I visited the Banks of Plum Creek. The family who owns the property today has posted signage and made this a very worthwhile visit. It may have been my favorite because it’s so beautiful there and I could imagine Laura and Mary playing in the creek and Pa working in the field.
I wish I could post all my favorite pictures I took on this pilgrimage, but here are a few. Let me know if you are interested in any details. It was a great trip!
